Semiconductor policy on the anvil

BANGALORE: A comprehensive policy to encourage the semiconductor industry in the State will be released in a few weeks.

It aims at creating a necessary ecosystem to kick start the growth of all elements of the semiconductor business, including manufacture, and will have provisions that will encourage global players to pitch their tents in the State for work in areas such as embedded systems and solar energy technology, Ashok Kumar Manoli, Principal Secretary, Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science and Technology, said here on Tuesday.

Session

He was addressing the inaugural session of the “Embedded Systems Conference 2008”, a global showcase of the embedded industry.

The policy contains specific provisions to encourage the industry to spread out from the State’s capital to the second and third tier cities.

Karnataka was also putting together a policy for rural information technology, Mr Manoli said.

Footprint

Michael Duck, Hong Kong-based, senior vice-president for organizers CMP Asia, said that for the first time, the conference was being conducted in tandem with three satellite events in Pune, Noida and Hyderabad, reflecting the large footprint of the embedded systems developer community in India.

Richard Wallace, Global Editorial Director of Techinsights, announced the launch of an India-specific portal focusing on engineering education and technology information to serve the burgeoning community of “techies” here ( www.techonlineindia.com ).

Veteran Indian IT media specialist K.C. Krishnadas would be the editor of the new India portal, he added.

Presentations

The four-day conference at the NIMHANS Convention Centre in the city will see over 50 keynote presentations and tutorials across the full gamut of embedded applications.